FCI, along with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), and the Center for Research, Promotion and Popular Education (CIPEP), provided technical support to Ecuador’s National Health Council (CONASA) for the launch of Ecuador’s first National Sexual and Reproductive Rights Observatory.

The meeting, titled Towards the Ecuadorian Center of Human Rights and Sexual and Reproductive Health, took place in Quito at the beginning of June 2011, with participants including representatives from other observatories in the region, including Mexico, Guatemala, Chile, and Uruguay.The meeting aimed to strengthen the national observatory for monitoring and reporting on the rate of compliance with health and reproductive rights, especially in relation to ethnic groups, diversity, gender, and generational issues.The role of Ecuador’s national Observatory will be critical – it will monitor and produce reports measuring the country’s fulfillment of its obligations around sexual and reproductive health and rights, with a particular focus on diversity, gender, and generational issues and on the rights of women in indigenous communities. Read more on The FCI Blog,here and here...

FCI-Mali expands sexual health program for young people

In Mopti, a port city located along the Niger River in Mali, many young people leave school at a young age, taking casual work as mechanics, salespeople, and maids. They have little or no access to reliable information on sexual and reproductive health, increasing their risk of HIV infection and unwanted pregnancy. In collaboration with the InterArts Foundation, FCI is working to train teen peer educators to use theater and dance to transmit key messages on HIV prevention and self care. As a follow up to their work as a theater troupe, these teens follow up with local youth to organize hundreds of group meetings, home visits, and counseling sessions with their peers. They share accurate, critically important information on responsible sexuality, and distribute health education materials and condoms, reach thousands of young people in Mopti and in rural villages along theNiger River. Read more...

Renewed efforts to prevent teen pregnancy from Andean governments

A new Spanish-language web portal has been launched to promote dialogue on how to prevent early and unwanted pregnancy in Latin America, a region in which teen pregnnacy rates are increasing most dramatically. This site includes best practices, a clearinghouse of materials from 6 Andean countries, and links to an active blog featuring regional youth teams from across the region. Since 2008, and with the support of the United Nations Population Fund—UNFPA, FCI has been a technical partner in the implementation of the Plan to Reduce Teenage Pregnancy in the Andean Region, fostering access to information and exchange of resources and strengthening mechanisms for youth participation in the shaping of public policies. Read more...

FCI selected to be strategic partner of Burkina Faso Ministry of Health

FCI-Burkina Faso has been selected as a strategic partner of the Ministry of Health, and asked to provide technical assistance in the implementation of national health policies in the country’s Sahel region. As one of only 10 such strategic partners selected from among more than 80 applicants, FCI provides technical assistance to the ministry in the areas of sexual and reproductive health and maternal health, focusing its work on strengthening the capacity of grassroots and community organizations. FCI-Burkina Faso is one of the lead partners working to promote a new national health insurance program that would provide free delivery care to all women.

FCI hosts intercultural care conference

Family Care International co-hosted a two-day meeting in September 2010 to explore how well new, more culturally-sensitive maternal health approaches are responding to the needs of indigenous women in six Latin Americancountries. The conference, which took place in Quito, Ecuador and was also hosted by the Ecuadorian Ministry of Public Health and UNFPA-Ecuador, included technical and Ministry of Health teams, as well as indigenous leaders, from Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guatemala, Honduras, and Panama. Discussions focused on strategies for ensuring the implementation of culturally-sensitive norms and protocols at the community level, highlighting best practices in intercultural maternal health care.

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Learn about FCI's Regional Programs

FCI works on the ground — in countries where health services are often inaccessible, understaffed, or of poor quality — to help our local partners build the skills, expertise, and resources needed to improve the quality of care, increase utilization of services, and strengthen the voices of civil society. Read more about FCI's advocacy programs on these pages:

Reaching underserved groupsFCI addresses inequities in access to health care by working to ensure that indigenous groups receive services that are sensitive to their cultures and traditions, that indigenous women leaders are empowered to demand their right to care, and that health systems provide high-quality services even in remote communities. Read more...

Reducing teenage pregnancyFCI builds the capacity of our local partners to implement educational programs, produce informational publications, and pursue policy initiatives to ensure that young people have access to the information and services they need to avoid unwanted pregnancy and embark on safe, healthy, and fulfilling adult lives. Read more...